Misplaced
by jonghyundroppedthesoap
Summary: It was just an innocent wish. But when the dragon takes them literally, Goten and Trunks are transported twenty years into the past - on Planet Namek. Attempting to keep their identities a secret and make their way back home, the two need to work harder than ever. Becoming closer is only inevitable. This isn't quite what Goten had in mind when he said 'adventure.'
1. Chapter 1

The sun shone warmly, reflecting off the seven dragon balls strewn over the rugged grass. Goten shielded his face, turning his head to look at Trunks. Summer had finally arrived and Goten had graduated high school. For the first time, the two boys had successfully collected all seven dragon balls without interruption and were preparing to summon Shenron.

"It feels a little weird. Doing it ourselves." spoke Goten.

Trunks' feet scuffed at the soil beneath his trainers. "Yeah, but there's no point backing out now. We'll summon him together, alright? On the count of three."

"Wait, wait…" interrupted Goten. "What's our second wish going to be? I mean, the dragon _does_ grant two."

Trunks' face twisted in thought. "We could always leave it for another time."

Goten shook his head. "No way. This is the first time we've had the chance to do this, there's no way I'm ditching my wish."

Trunks shrugged. "Yeah, true. Well, it is _your_ wish. Ask for anything you want."

That was true. The first wish was Trunks', and his wish was for the perfect gift. Not for himself, of course. But for Mai. His girlfriend.

In all honesty, Goten despised Mai. Hated every inch of her. He didn't trust her to save his life, and every time he glanced her way, an uncomfortable tingle would make itself down his spine. There were multiple reasons for this distrust and distaste. So many, in fact, that Goten had made a list:

First, she never shared anything about herself. She had no parents, no friends, and as far as Goten was concerned, no history.

Second, she wilfully spent her free time with a blue gremlin and a speaking dog. Whom Goten was positive had tried to kill him on multiple occasions.

And third?

Goten was painfully in love.

 _Not with Mai._

But with Trunks. His best friend of seventeen years.

He had come to this realisation at thirteen, when he'd awaken in the middle of the night with a tent in his boxers and a clear image of Trunks embedded in his mind. The first time, he passed it off as adolescence, but when the dream became a recurring one, Goten was certain it had developed into something more.

He tried to forget it, of course. Think of other boys instead. After all, anyone was better than his best friend, and any attraction Goten thought he'd held for girls had disappeared completely over the past few years. In senior high school, he hooked up with a few other guys from his year level, but while they were nice, they simply weren't Trunks.

Only a year ago, Trunks had discovered Goten's sexuality at a party, where he'd stumbled upon Goten and a boy from his geography class in what could be labelled a compromising position. Trunks had been flustered, no doubt, but after an apology from Goten and an explanation, he accepted it with a simple shrug, reassuring Goten that "it was all fine, and I kind of suspected, anyway."

Things had been slightly awkward for a few days, but soon enough, everything was back to normal. Trunks treated Goten exactly the same, and still to this day, he hadn't yet discovered Goten's feelings towards him.

Everything was great. And if Goten was any other person, he might have asked the dragon to make Trunks fall in love with him. Thankfully, Goten _wasn't_ any other person, and concluded that he'd prefer Trunks not to love him at all than be forced to.

Rather, he decided on a much more trivial wish – something he'd wanted to wish for since he was five years old. "Okay, I think I've got one. Let's summon Shenron."

"Alright, on three." agreed Trunks, rubbing his hands together nervously.

"One."

"Two."

"Three!"

"Eternal Dragon! By your name, we summon you forth: Shenron!" they chanted together, fists balled in anticipation.

The sky blackened, dark clouds looming above them. A chill ran down Goten's spine. From the dragon balls, a large, green figure began to appear, its glowing eyes illuminating their surroundings. They had summoned the dragon many times, but it never became any less formidable.

Shenron began to speak, a booming voice which vibrated through the very grass beneath them. "You have awoken me from my slumber. Speak your first wish!"

Goten and Trunks glanced at each other, as though seeking reassurance, before Trunks began to speak. "Shenron… I wish for the perfect gift for my girlfriend, Mai!" Trunks' face heated up. In the face of the dragon, his wish seemed more juvenile than ever.

"Very well. Your wish shall be granted."

The sky flashed with light, colours which seemed to dance against the clouds. And then it was dark once more, a small book landing before Trunks' feet. He picked it up nimbly, glancing at the cover with confusion masking his features. "…What?"

Goten shuffled over to peek a glance, reading the title over Trunks' shoulder.

' _Before Your Time: The Early Menopause Survival Guide.'_

Trunks looked over at Goten, brows furrowed. "What the _fuck_ is that meant to mean?"

"I… have no clue. Isn't that like, what our mums have?"

Trunks hummed in agreement. "Yeah, it's for like, old women and stuff. I guess Shenron made a mistake or something… What a fucking waste."

Goten smiled sympathetically. He wanted to feel bad for Trunks, but on the inside, he was joyous. "Sorry, man. At least we get another wish, aye?"

Trunks smiled softly, shoving the book in his backpack. "Yeah."

The thundering voice of Shenron redirected their attention to the task at hand. "Speak your second wish!" he spoke.

Goten took a deep breath. "Alright, Shenron. I wish that Trunks and I could go on an awesome adventure like our dads did! Go and fight Frieza, or something…" he trailed off.

He turned to gauge Trunks' reaction. It had been their number one wish as children, after all. But instead of joy and anticipation, he saw wide eyes, as a desperate Trunks lurched forward to grab Goten's arm. Words spilled from Trunks' mouth, but Goten couldn't hear over the roar of Shenron.

And that was the last thing Goten saw. Because then the sky began to morph and twist, the ground reeling at their feet.

The world went black.

All was silent.


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing Goten noticed was that the sky was green. It was no longer shielded by looming, black clouds and a wish-granting dragon. The terrain seemed different too, with less diversity and more of that same greenish colour – through lakes, over mountains and past the trees.

He was sprawled across the ground and Trunks lay a few metres away, appearing equally confused. The air felt different here. Discomforting. Goten lifted to his feet hesitantly and felt for any familiar ki. There were a few – his dad, Gohan, Vegeta, Bulma and Piccolo. But they too seemed different, somehow. Weaker. Trunks seemed to be feeling something similar and the expression on his face became ridden with anxious lines.

"Fuck, Goten." he muttered. "You should have told me your wish beforehand."

"I didn't know _this_ was going to happen. Where are we, anyway? A different planet?"

Trunks hummed. "Seems so, yeah. But why are my parents so close? Did it wish everyone here? A little group adventure _does_ sound nice."

Goten snorted. "Nah. I've got no idea. But I can feel my dad's energy, so we should go and ask him."

Trunks worried his lip between his teeth. "Something just doesn't feel right. It seems kind of dark."

Upon closer inspection, Goten noticed that – besides the air and palette – the planet did seem rather odd. The ground seemed to rumble and shake more with every passing second, with molten and lava rising from crevices in the ground.

Goten lifted into the air, hands in his pockets. "Well, we won't know for sure unless we go and ask. C'mon."

"Yeah, okay. Just… lower your power level." Trunks followed suit, floating skyward. He seemed hesitant, but understood the futility of simply standing around.

With a final nod, the two shot off towards Goku, hoping that he would have some answers. As they travelled over the barren landscape, the sky seemed to darken more and more, an ominous red tinging the green.

They felt it before they saw it. The pure evil was a blackness difficult to miss. And when they finally landed their eyes on the source, the puzzle pieces immediately came together.

A white and purple reptilian figure floated in the sky, bloodied and dirtied from a strenuous fight. Across from the strange figure stood a man, donning a torn orange gi and bright golden hair. It was a man all too familiar to Goten and Trunks.

As quick as lightning, Trunks grabbed Goten's arm and shot down behind a tree. "Fuck, fuck, fuck. What have we done?" His voice was panicked and he buried his head into his hands, pulling desperately at the purple locks.

"What? What's happening?" Goten had never hated his obliviousness more.

Hesitantly, Trunks looked up to meet Goten's gaze. Goten hadn't seen him so torn since Buu. "That figure… That's Frieza, Goten. _Frieza_. The guy your dad fought _twenty years ago_ on Planet Namek."

Goten's eyes widened, the complexity of their situation finally dawning on him. "We're in the past? No way. Nope. Not happening." Goten shook his head fervently in a last ditch effort to deny their circumstances. "How are we going to get back home?"

Trunks punched the ground in anger, cracks forming in the Namekian soil. "Shenron is a real bastard. First the book and now this shit. I really don't know, Goten. But _you're_ the one who got us into this mess."

"Don't blame it on me! How was I supposed to know Shenron was going to pull a dick move like that?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe you should have thought about that beforeyou asked him for us to go on your _'little adventure.'_ Fuck, you're so immature." Trunks mussed his hair in exasperation and looked up at the sky.

Goten clenched his fists in rage and felt tears of embarrassment threatening to rise. "Don't be a dick, Trunks. Not now, alright? Anytime but now."

Trunks sighed deeply. "Yes, I know… I'm sorry. I'm just stressed, okay? I don't know how we can get out of this mess without ruining the timeline."

Goten hummed in agreement. Before he could say much else however, a dark cloud appeared in the far distance. The two started in shock, standing up to gauge a better look.

"Is that… Shenron?" asked Goten hesitantly.

"It seems like it. Quick, let's go have a look. Maybe we can wish ourselves back!"

With that, the two shot into the sky once more, racing towards the blackened clouds. But their efforts to escape were fruitless. Before they could even reach the dragon, the sky had lightened once again, and a familiar pull began to twist the world around them.

* * *

On all fours, Goten breathed shakily. The grass beneath his hands was green – a familiar, bright green which was known to be the grass of Earth. Despite his churning stomach, his head shot up in ecstasy, hoping to see Trunks' beaming face across from him. Instead, there stood a crowd of people – humans and Namekians alike – confusion shrouding their expressions.

Goten's eyes darted around desperately, searching for the familiar face of his best friend. He found it within seconds, twisted in fear and worry as he too surveyed their surroundings. Goten stood and hurried over to him. Thankfully, the befuddled crowd had not yet noticed them.

"Trunks," he whispered urgently. "Why are we back on Earth?"

Trunks shushed him hurriedly, gesturing to the people by their far right. "We're back on Earth, yeah, but… We're not back in our timeline, Goten. Look – your brother. He's young."

Goten peered over to where Trunks was gesturing and felt his heartrate accelerate. It was true. There stood Bulma and Gohan, with Dende healing Piccolo a few paces away. Only, they were a good twenty years younger, and many of them looked quite battered up. They, along with many other Namekians, seemed to be unsure of the situation themselves, patting their bodies in confusion and exclaiming happily when they noticed their fellow friends. As Goten and Trunks observed from the shadows, everyone began to surround another larger, older Namekian, listening to him speak with rapt attention and solemn expressions. "We have to hide, Trunks. Before someone—"

Suddenly, a figure attacked Goten from behind, blasting him into Trunks before laying on an assault of fists and boots. Goten tried feebly to defend himself, eyes widening as he realised just _who_ was attacking him.

It was Vegeta, and his eyes were clouded with rage.

"Stop! Stop, please." he cried out, blocking Vegeta's chaotic strikes.

"You're one of Frieza's men, I know it! I should have crushed you all when I had the chance." Vegeta yelled, sending blast after blast at both Goten and Trunks.

Trunks shook his head desperately. "No, we're not! Please, I swear. We don't know why we're here. We were just… in our spaceship. On our way from Planet Narga when we were teleported here. Please." Trunks begged, and Goten silently thanked his friend for being such a smooth liar.

Vegeta reluctantly relented, breathing heavily to survey the two boys before him. "Planet Narga?" he spat.

"Yes… yes." nodded Goten, running a hand through his hair out of nervous habit. "It's a small planet. Not many have heard of it. Um, but… It got destroyed a few days ago. We were one of the lucky ones."

A silence overcame them, before Vegeta finally harrumphed in acceptance. "I'm sorry you had to end up on this shithole, then." And then he simply walked off.

Vegeta's display of anger had attracted them quite a bit of attention and the two cursed their luck.

"What are we going to say? Do we introduce ourselves?" Goten mumbled quietly.

"Yeah." agreed Trunks. "But we can't reveal our actual names."

Goten nodded, palms dampening with sweat as he noticed Bulma, Gohan, Piccolo and Dende making their way over. They still looked vaguely upset, but a new curiosity shined in their eyes. "Okay. Then, er… I'm G, and you're T."

There wasn't time to argue, so Trunks simple hummed in affirmation.

"Hiya!" spoke Bulma, voice perky and optimistic for someone who had previously been mere minutes from death. "Are you boys okay? Vegeta just doesn't know when to give up."

Goten scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment, eliciting a narrowed gaze from Piccolo. "We're fine, it's all good. Just got a bit of a surprise."

"Thank goodness. He really is a brute. Say… how did you guys get here anyway? Were you on Namek too?"

Trunks shook his head. "Not quite… We were on the outskirts of Namek in our ship. We really have no idea how we ended up here…"

Gohan spoke next, and Trunks and Goten both reeled at how high his voice was. It was an odd experience, seeing a figure you'd looked up to for your whole life in a body so small. Goten squelched the urge to reach out and ruffle his hair. "Everyone who was on Planet Namek was wished to Earth so that we wouldn't be blown up. I guess the dragon included you guys in the mix. I'm Gohan, by the way!"

Goten and Trunks shot each other a sideways glance.

"That makes sense… we were pretty close. It's nice to meet you, Gohan. I'm G."

"And I'm T." added Trunks.

Gohan tilted his head, lips quirking in amusement. "Your names are kind of weird."

Trunks shrugged casually. "Everyone's name is like that on, um, Narga. It gets a little confusing sometimes, but you get used to it."

Gohan nodded slowly. "Oh, right. That's pretty cool! Well, nice to meet you, G and T."

Piccolo nodded in greeting, though his expression betrayed the sentiment.

"It's great to meet you guys! And I'm super sorry you ended up in all this mess… I'd offer to help you out, but everyone here is almost as confused as you are at the moment. One of our good friends wasn't wished back here with us, and we need to sort some things out as soon as possible." Bulma explained, biting her lip restlessly. "I guess you'll probably be chilling here until we can use the dragon balls again so I'm sure we'll see you around, but for now, there isn't anything we can do but wait. Our group will be staying here for a while longer if you'd like to stay with us? We can get you where you need to be with the dragon balls eventually." Bulma regarded the two sympathetically, but Goten and Trunks could see that her concern for them was overshadowed by her own worries.

Despite their stress, Trunks knew they couldn't impose on this timeline any more than necessary and risk altering it. Not to mention that everyone seemed to be burdened by other anxieties, and he didn't want to make their situation even more difficult.

"It's no worries," grinned Trunks politely. "This planet isn't too different to our own, so I'm sure we can sort ourselves out until everything is settled. We can just camp out somewhere for time being."

Bulma nodded in understanding. "Earth's a great place – I'm sure you'll settle right in. But… how will I contact you when the dragon balls are ready?"

"Well, in all honesty, these dragon balls probably won't be able to help us much anyway. It's not like we have anywhere to go. I think you should use them to help your own situation. We'll sort something out."

Bulma looked sceptical, but was interrupted by Gohan's cheerful exclamation. "Don't worry, Bulma! We can just sense these guys' energy levels if we need them. Besides, they said Earth is similar to Narga – maybe they can live here now!"

Goten swallowed thickly. They were creating an entirely new life for themselves within the span of a few minutes, and he wasn't quite sure how they would manage to escape the situation if it escalated. The dragon balls would in fact be able to help them immensely, but he knew just as well as Trunks that one slip up could change the timeline drastically.

"Hey, you're right, kiddo! How does that sound to you guys?"

Trunks nodded hurriedly. "Yes, that sounds perfect! Thank you so much."

Bulma made a contented sound. "Great! I have a lot of stuff to organise for now, but I hope I can see you boys later! See you!"

"Bye G, bye T!" laughed Gohan, following Bulma happily back to where the Namekians were forming a cluster.

Piccolo, on the other hand, faltered for a short moment. His eyes narrowed and he surveyed the two before him in suspicion. Goten's throat thickened with anxiety. Had he already seen through their lies? Before Goten could ask however, Piccolo simply grunted before walking off in the same direction.

Goten turned to look at Trunks oddly. "That was weird."

"Tell me about it. C'mon G, let's get going."

With a mutual nod, the two flew off in a random direction, away from the gathered group. They had no idea of their destination, but there was a lot they needed to discuss away from any listening ears. They'd gotten themselves into quite the ordeal, and both knew it wasn't the type of situation that could be solved within a day.

This really wasn't what Goten had in mind when he'd said 'adventure.'


	3. Chapter 3

After flying for approximately ten minutes, Goten and Trunks eventually landed in an open field with a forest and waterfall nearby.

"This'll do for now." commented Trunks, throwing his backpack down and sitting beside it exasperatedly. For a minute or two, he appeared to simply stare into the horizon, but Goten knew that he was in deep thought considering their options.

"We could use the dragon balls in a year or so. I think they've only just been used to wish everyone back to life." Goten suggested feebly.

Trunks hummed in agreement. "That's probably our only option, yeah. But shit, a whole year? How are we going to cope for that long?"

Goten collapsed beside Trunks, lying himself on the ground and looking up at the clouds. "That _is_ an awfully long time. Where will we live?"

A grim laugh escaped Trunks' mouth. "Here, I suppose. There's really nowhere else. I mean, being in this timeline is bad enough – there's no way we can associate with the others unless we want to alter it drastically."

Punching the ground angrily, Goten let out a frustrated yell. A small crater formed beside him and he glared at it as though it had personally wronged him. "Why do I have to screw everything up? No house, no family, no food…"

Trunks spread himself out so he was lying beside Goten. "Don't be so harsh on yourself. I mean, everyone knows Shenron's a sneaky little bastard. Besides, food will be easy enough to get, your family is _technically_ here, and well… I'm sure sleeping out here won't be that bad."

Goten offered a small grin. "I guess you're right…"

"Everyone back home will be worried sick, though. And it's meant to be Mai's birthday tomorrow." Trunks continued, immediately sobering the smile on Goten's face.

"Yeah, true." he replied quietly.

Trunks sat up, mind racing. "Surely we can figure out a way to contact everyone back home. Like… a phone that works between timelines or something."

"With you and what equipment? Sorry to break it to you, Trunks, but all we have out here is your backpack and a book about frigging menopause."

Glaring at Goten, Trunks exhaled loudly. "Surely I can ask my mum for one favour. Unlike you, I don't look Saiyan at all, so no one would suspect anything."

"Let's just wait a bit first, okay? Let everything settle down."

A silence passed between the two. Goten continued to stare at the clouds above, a sudden sensation akin to nostalgia pulling at his gut. He glanced at Trunks out of the corner of his eye. He too appeared solemn, eyes unseeing as the sunlight reflected off his face. Goten let out a heavy breath. The sun was warm against his skin, but despite the nice weather, the worry in his veins prevented him from feeling content. He couldn't help but let his thoughts wander to his family back home. He wondered vaguely if they'd noticed his disappearance yet. The cynical side of his mind said 'probably not.'

Trunks on the other hand…

Mai was probably making a huge fuss. _'He's late for our date. Trunksie would never leave me like this! It's all Goten's fault.'_

He snorted at the prospect, eliciting a confused look from Trunks. Goten shrugged in response to the unspoken question.

"Just thinking."

Trunks hummed. "Me too."

"Do you reckon anyone's noticed we're gone yet?"

"Probably not. I mean, our fathers are probably sparring and not everyone can sense ki. I don't think we've been gone that long, anyway."

Goten supposed that was true. As soon as he'd made his wish, they'd gone from Earth to Namek to Earth within mere minutes. And already, he was struggling with boredom. With a lack of anything better to do, he turned to Trunks. "You hungry?"

"Starving." His gaze turned to the nearby river. "Guess we'll be having fish for a while."

Simultaneously, their stomachs grumbled at the prospect, and it wasn't too long before Goten was stripping off his garments and diving into the stream. Trunks followed suit, forever eager to not let his friend best him. "Hey, wait up!"

* * *

Piccolo stood, Gohan by his side, in deep contemplation. The two men who had appeared alongside them confused him greatly, leaving an unsettled sensation in the pit of his stomach. They had claimed to be foreign aliens from a planet named Narga, but the facts didn't add up. Not only had they appeared uncannily _human,_ but they didn't seem at all surprised by the circumstances. He recalled neither had questioned the dragon balls' power, accepting the fact that a mysterious force had teleported them to another planet without warning. Not to mention that Goku had specifically wished for everyone _on_ Planet Namek to be wished to Earth, not _around_ Planet Namek _._ They'd been awfully eager to leave too, blasting off without hesitation at Bulma and Gohan's farewell. Planet Narga? His Kami knowledge nor Nail's had any recollection of such a planet, and he strained his brain to determine why the one called 'G' irked him so.

He was vaguely aware that Gohan was calling for his attention, and grunted to acknowledge that he was listening.

"Mister Piccolo, don't you reckon those two were super strong? The one with black hair fended off _Vegeta_!"

That caught his attention. It was true. If Vegeta wanted to harm those two – which he did – then he would have done so. But 'G' had blocked all of Vegeta's blows without issue, even managing to defend his innocence while doing so.

"Alarmingly strong." he agreed.

Gohan's face twisted at this. "What if they're evil? We wouldn't stand a chance without my dad."

Piccolo shook his head. "No, they didn't have a sinister energy. If they're as strong as they appear, we can only hope they're our allies."

Gohan nodded, adding as an afterthought with a light chuckle. "G really looked like my dad, too. How cool!"

Piccolo's mind provided him an image of the man's face, and he found his eyes widening in realisation. No wonder he had seemed so eerily familiar. Everything, from the sheepish grin to the way he scratched the back of his neck when nervous. "You're… right."

He narrowed his gaze. "There is something those two are lying about, Gohan. Planet Narga, my ass."

"Should we… go and confront them about it?" Gohan looked unsure.

"Later." Piccolo hummed. "After we've sorted everything with Goku and Krillin out."

Gohan agreed with fervour.

* * *

The rest of the day for Goten and Trunks passed uneventfully. They cooked their fish with some carefully administered ki blasts, picked some fruit from the nearby trees, and ate their food with enthusiasm. Not too long after landing in the open field, they felt the gathered group depart for Capsule Corp, breathing a sigh of relief in knowledge that they were now entirely alone. The sun began to set on the horizon, Goten bathing in the river as Trunks organised his scarce supplies into something that might be useful.

Laying the items before him, Trunks slumped onto the grass with a loud exhale. Two granola bars, the book, the dragon radar, an empty storage capsule, his mobile (which was useless without its charger), and his jacket.

He looked over at Goten's things. The outfit he'd been wearing that day, his equally useless mobile, and four zeni he'd found in his back pocket.

Great.

If he'd had any hope that things would get better, it was gone now. If they wanted any chance of surviving and not succumbing to boredom while they were stuck in this timeline, they needed to tell someone as soon as possible. Despite his desperation, however, Trunks could not devise any scenario that didn't end in complete and utter chaos.

"Goten," he called loudly. "We are screwed."

Beat.

"I know!" came the delayed reply.

Trunks snorted loudly. He grabbed a tuft of grass and pulled it out, opening his hand to let the blades drift away gently in the wind. His thoughts drifted to Mai, briefly wondering what she was currently up to. But it was fruitless. Somehow, they'd ended up in this timeline, and if Trunks' predictions were correct, it would be a long while until they returned home. He rubbed his hands over his face exasperatedly.

"What's up, Trunks?" came Goten's concerned voice.

Trunks looked up, noting with amusement that Goten's entire body (including his boxers) were soaked. "Just thinking about Mai. And how long it'll be until we see everyone again."

Goten's face visibly dropped, and Trunks attributed it to the fact that he was similarly dismayed by their extended absence.

Looking at his feet in silence, Goten shrugged. "I... It might not be too long. It'll probably pass really quickly."

"Goten, always the optimist." Trunks smiled warmly. He watched as Goten flared his ki lightly to dry off and slowly began to dress himself, considerably less chipper than he had been before. "You tired?"

"Hm?" Goten looked up, cheeks reddening slightly. "Oh, right. Yeah. A bit."

"Me too, I reckon I'll sleep soon."

"It's still pretty early."

"It's been a long day."

"True, I guess I'll sleep too then." nodded Goten, finishing the final button on his jeans.

Trunks raised a brow. "You really gonna sleep in them?"

"Do you see anything else lying about?"

"Just wear your boxers. Who cares?"

Goten looked sceptical. "It's getting cold, no way."

Trunks laughed, reaching into his backpack and pulling out his jacket. "Here." He threw it over to Goten, the latter catching it with confusion.

"Just put it over your legs or something to stay warm. We're sleeping on fucking grass, you may as well be a _little_ comfortable."

Goten looked back up at Trunks, an unexplainable emotion swimming in his eyes. "Thanks." he grinned.

"No problem, runt."

His comment was replied to with a pair of jeans suddenly thwacking him in the face. "Oi!"

"You asked for it." Goten replied amusedly, lying down with Trunks' jacket draped over his body. He yawned loudly, closing his eyes as he allowed Trunks' warm, familiar scent to wash over him and lull him into a peaceful slumber.

Trunks rolled over, glancing at Goten with a fond smile on his face. "Goodnight, 'Ten."

"'Night, Trunks."

* * *

Both exhausted from the day's events and quickly conceding to the inviting pull of sleep, the two teenagers were blissfully unaware of the appearance of two figures in the distance.

"Are you kidding me?" came a disgruntled voice. "Asleep at seven o'clock?"

"Awh, I really wanted to talk to them."

"Lower your power level, Gohan. Let's go take a look at their stuff."

"Mister Piccolo, isn't that rude?"

"Stuff 'rude', kid. If anyone's being rude, it's them by not telling us the truth."

Gohan still appeared unsure, but followed behind Piccolo quietly nonetheless. The aliens' few belongings were tucked away in T's backpack which he was currently using as a pillow, causing Piccolo to snarl quietly. With a lack of any other evidence, the Namekian and Gohan began to carefully study the boys' clothes.

T donned a simple black t-shirt with grey sweatpants – nothing baring obvious clues. Piccolo looked over to Gohan, eyes widening in alarm as he realised the boy was attempting to lift the jacket covering G's legs. Before he could signal for him to stop, however, Gohan let out a quiet yelp and jumped away, letting the jacket fall back to where is sat previously. He looked over at Piccolo with wide eyes.

Piccolo quirked a brow in question.

' _No pants.'_ mouthed Gohan.

If Piccolo felt himself struggling to contain a laugh, he would never admit it.

He gestured for Gohan to come back so they could leave, but it appeared that the boy had found something of interest. He frantically waved his hands and Piccolo carefully stepped over to see what the fuss was about. Pointing at a logo on the sleeve of the jacket, Gohan smiled triumphantly.

 _Capsule Corp._

Piccolo smirked. There was no Capsule Corporation in outer space. Of that, he was certain. "Good eyes, kid." he whispered, reaching down to ruffle Gohan's hair. "Now let's get out of here before they wake up."

With that, the two blasted off hurriedly back to where they came from, eager to share the news with the other occupants of Bulma's house.


	4. Chapter 4

"You _what_?!"

Piccolo and Gohan both winced.

"You mean to tell me you found those boys, saw that they were sleeping in the middle of goddamn _nowhere_ , and left them there to die of hypothermia?!" Bulma's voice gradually rose in volume as she spoke, glaring at the two with a fierce gaze.

Gohan stared forlornly at his feet, digging the toes of his shoes into the floor. "Well… it's not too cold outside." he defended feebly.

"That's not the point, mister! I made it very clear to those boys that I was willing to help, and now they're living in the forest with nowhere else to go. Not to mention they probably have no idea what they're doing on this foreign planet! Shame on you both!"

Piccolo made a sound akin to a growl. "Calm down, woman, it's been one night. And I think you're forgetting the whole point of this conversation – _They are not alien._ They had a Capsule Corporation jacket, in case you forgot."

Bulma seethed. "Don't get sassy with me, Piccolo. As soon as tomorrow comes, I'm taking my jet copter out there and bringing those boys back. Alien or not!"

"You just want more cute guys living at your house." Gohan suggested quietly, a cheeky grin spreading across his cheeks.

"I do not!" Bulma yelled, crossing her arms over her chest with a loud harrumph. "Now, if you two are done, I'm going to bed. Good. Night."

And then she was off, storming down one of Capsule Corporation's many corridors to the sleeping quarters. Gohan and Piccolo looked at each other in confusion before simply brushing her behaviour off with a shrug.

"You better get to sleep too, kid. We might have a busy day ahead of us."

Gohan nodded in agreement, smiling warmly in agreement before heading off in the same direction as Bulma. Piccolo watched with fond eyes, gaze suddenly hardening as Gohan disappeared from view. He didn't know who these boys were, why they had lied, or what they wanted, but he had a feeling that this wasn't going to be as easy as Bulma anticipated.

* * *

Goten hummed contently, nestling further into Trunks' jacket as sunlight danced across his face. Luckily for the both of them, the weather hadn't been too cold that night, and the grass beneath them was softer than anticipated. He was knocked out of his sleepy reverie by a voice calling his name.

"Goten."

Opening one eye, Goten glared at Trunks. "Hm?"

"Can you feel that? My mum's coming." Unlike Goten, Trunks was wide awake and staring into the sky with worry.

Goten sat up now, senses on alert. Trunks was right. Bulma's ki was coming their way quickly. "How did she know we were here?"

Shrugging, Trunks' gaze finally shifted to look at Goten properly. "The others probably told her. We haven't exactly been trying to hide."

"Great. Now we're gonna have to explain ourselves to her. Knowing your mum, we won't be staying here much longer."

"You bet," agreed Trunks. "You have to really watch what you say, okay?"

Goten rolled his eyes, standing up and allowing Trunks' jacket to fall to the ground. "I _know_ , Trunks."

Trunks' gaze remained locked on Goten's bare legs for a few seconds before turning away quickly. "I know. Sorry. Here." He picked up the younger boy's jeans and threw them over to him.

"Thanks."

A few minutes passed while Goten redressed and attempted fruitlessly to tame his hair. Trunks watched on with amusement before soon getting bored with the display and leaving to go wash up. Eventually, a jetcopter sounded in the distance and Goten and Trunks watched the sky with anticipation.

The copter landed and Bulma emerged with a bounce in her step. "Hey G! Hey T! How are you guys?"

Goten laughed tightly, looking over at Trunks. "Alright, Bulma. What brings you out here?"

"Well, Piccolo and Gohan told me you were sleeping in the middle of nowhere and I just couldn't let that happen. Aren't you poor boys freezing?"

She looked genuinely concerned, but Goten and Trunks knew the easiest way to keep their secret was to remain isolated from everyone they knew back home.

"Nah," spoke Trunks, fiddling with his shirt. "The weather is way colder on Narga. We're quite comfortable here, to be honest." It wasn't a blatant lie; the grass really wasn't too bad.

Bulma frowned. "I don't care how comfortable you are, mister. I can't have you starving. Why don't you come live with me? I have plenty of room."

Goten waved his hands in front of him, speaking hurriedly. "No, no, no. We really don't want to impose. I promise we're fine here – we'd come and let you know if we weren't, Bulma."

Though Bulma looked as though she was considering it, the two boys weren't to be so lucky. "Are you kidding me? I can't just leave you here! You boys are going to come and live with me whether you like it or not. I'll at least give you a capsule house if it bothers you that much."

Feigning ignorance, Goten spoke up curiously. "Capsule house?"

"Yep!" spoke Bulma, excited at the prospect of telling a stranger about her inventions. "Here, see this?" She fished a capsule from her pocket and presented it to the boys. "These are called capsules. They can store items of any size inside. My father and I invented them. I'm sure we have some spare houses lying about."

"Oh, wow… That would be amazing, Bulma. Thank you so much!" Trunks beamed.

Pleased at her handiwork, Bulma smiled broadly. "It's no problem, kiddo. Now, I know you alien guys can fly, but would you prefer to come back in my jetcopter?"

Goten shook his head. "Er, no, I think we can manage. We'll be right behind you."

"Okay, sounds good! I'll see you back at Capsule Corp, then."

The two waved Bulma goodbye but paused as she turned back towards them. "By the way," she added with an apologetic smile. "I think Piccolo is getting a bit suspicious of you guys, so be prepared for some questioning. See ya!"

And with that she was gone, leaving Goten and Trunks to stare with wide eyes. "You can never underestimate Piccolo, can you?"

"Don't stress, 'Ten. We can handle him."

Goten merely sighed before grabbing all his belongings off the ground. "I guess we better be going, then. C'mon."

After grabbing everything they needed, the two lifted into the air before taking off behind Bulma. The trip elapsed in silence, the both of them fretting over what was to come.

* * *

Bulma was waiting for them outside Capsule Corporation when they touched down, a capsule in hand.

"After a bit of rummaging, I found this in storage. It's a bit of an old model and it's pretty small, but I think it'll do for the time being. I'd give you guys one of the prototypes, but a few have been playing up and I don't want to risk that." She offered the capsule to Trunks. "Here, test it out. Just push the button on top and throw it into the clearing."

Trunks, familiar with the process, did so without hesitation. Bulma was right; the house looked quite dated in comparison to what they were familiar with, and the inside was barely large enough for two people. Upon opening the door and peeking in, there were two single beds with a bedside table between them, a wardrobe for their clothes, a small television in the corner of the room, and a door leading into what they assumed was the bathroom.

"This is perfect, Bulma! It'll do just fine," grinned Goten. "We can't thank you enough."

"It's nothing, really. Now, feel free to come into Capsule Corp anytime you need anything. Food, clothes, video games, the gym, a swimming pool. Be a bit cautious, though. Vegeta, the Namekians and a few others are staying with me while everything is sorted out, so it's going to be fairly busy around here. Just… ignore everything Vegeta says, okay?"

Trunks looked slightly amused at the mention of his father. "Uh, yeah, sure."

Bulma sighed in relief. "Perfect. Now, I've got a few things I need to be doing, but don't be surprised if you get a few visitors later on. I know Gohan really wants to hang out with you boys, so don't be too harsh on him. There aren't many young people around here for him to be friends with besides Dende, and you're the next best thing."

"Oh, don't worry about that! We'd be glad to play with him every now and then." Goten assured with a grin, earning him a pointed glare from Trunks.

Glowing, Bulma thanked them immensely before glancing down at her watch. "Oh gosh, I really better be going. I guess I'll see you boys around!" With a wave, she then headed back into Capsule Corporation's main building, leaving Goten and Trunks to their own devices.

"As much as it relieves me to see her go, I'm gonna go crazy with boredom here." Goten spoke, heading into their capsule house and collapsing onto the bed furthest from the bathroom.

"Fucking hell," cursed Trunks in agreement. "How are we going to get out of this mess?"

Goten simply grunted, shrugging his shoulders in resignation.

Trunks sighed. "Whatever. I'm having a shower."

Goten watched Trunks go silently until the door closed behind him. Once the spray of water sounded from the bathroom, Goten finally allowed his face to scrunch up in desolation, a quiet sob tearing from his throat. He didn't know exactly why he was crying; whether it was his guilt from the awry wish or the fear of what was to come. They could be trapped in this timeline for months – years, even – and nobody back home would ever know what had happened to them.

A whole day had already passed. It didn't seem like that long, but in Goten's mind, it was an eternity. He wondered how his mother was faring. Ever since he had graduated (with dismal exam results), she had been unusually dismissive towards him. Gohan had always been the golden child, yes, but it had never been this bad. Goten had considered coming out to her before school finished, but now he was glad he hadn't. Was she even worried for him? Had she realised he was missing?

To soak up some of the tears, Goten threw an arm across his face, but his thoughts only served to make him cry harder.

"'Ten?" came Trunks' voice softly from the bathroom. "Alright?"

"Yeah," choked back Goten.

The conjoining door opened gently and Trunks peered out. He sighed softly. "God, Goten. No, you're not."

Dressed in his same clothes but hair damp, Trunks came out and sat on the edge of Goten's bed. "Come here, bud." He pulled Goten up and into a hug, allowing the younger boy's head to fall against his shoulder.

"'m sorry."

"Don't apologize, 'Ten. None of this is your fault. I know I blamed you before but I didn't mean it, I swear. I'm just lost and scared and I don't know what we're gonna do."

"Me neither, Trunks." Goten pulled away slightly, eyes red. "But we need to ask someone for help."

Trunks stared at Goten for a few minutes before diverting his gaze. "Who?"

"I don't know… Bulma? Piccolo? _Anyone_."

A few moments passed while Trunks considered it. What Goten was suggesting was dangerous: not only to them, but to everyone they knew here. "But… what if we drastically alter the timeline? I don't want to risk not being born. Or someone not coming back to life."

"But we know it won't affect us back home," assured Goten. "Look at Future Trunks. He came to our timeline before we were born, but it didn't change his own time at all."

Trunks looked up, uncertain. "But we can't ruin these people's lives. They're still our friends."

Goten's eyes softened and he lifted his hand to cup Trunks' neck. "I'm not saying we scream to everyone who we are and reveal the future to them. I'm just saying we ask for help where needed and try to make some allies through all of this."

Trunks exhaled shakily, hope simmering in his eyes.

"Alright," he nodded eventually with a smile. "Let's ask for some help."


	5. Chapter 5

Goten and Trunks lied down on their respective beds, nothing better to do than stare at the roof. They had thankfully been without visitors during their first four days, but boredom had begun to consume them slowly.

"You _sure_ there's no dragon balls that can take us back?" Goten mumbled for the seventh time that day.

Trunks grunted. " _No_ , Goten. Not for another year, at least. And they need the Namekian ones to bring everyone here back to life first."

"Right."

A few beats of silence ensued before Goten spoke up again. "Wish we could spar."

"Yeah, well we can't."

Goten sat up. "What about video games? Or the gym Bulma was talking about."

"I guess we could. I'm not really in the mood right now." Trunks hadn't changed position in two hours and had barely even made eye contact with Goten in that time either.

Rolling his eyes, Goten swung around so his feet were touching the floor and stood up slowly. "Whatever. I'm going to have a look. Feel free to keep moping about Mai."

This earned him a quick glare from Trunks. "Piss off, Goten. You don't get it."

Goten could have thought of a million retorts to stir an argument with Trunks, but frankly couldn't be bothered to try. He simply hummed vacantly and moved to leave the capsule house. "See ya, then."

He closed the door behind him not-so-gently and breathed in, weighing his options. Video games were no fun with one person and it was too cold now to go swimming. Goten supposed that left either the gym, which likely wouldn't challenge him in the slightest, or an attempt at socialization. He figured he'd have a walk around Capsule Corp and see where it led him.

He'd walked through a majority of the living complex and was headed to the games room when a sight outdoors caught his attention. In the Brief's back garden, a few dozen Namekians were gathered alongside Bulma, Piccolo and Gohan, watching a lackluster attempt at golf.

If Trunks was with him, there was no way he'd allow Goten to join in. Sure, they had agreed to ask for help a few days prior, but Trunks had been continuously hesitant and had insisted they keep to themselves. There were big risks involved in revealing their identities – Goten knew that – but if they never said anything there was no chance of making their way back home.

Goten wasn't going to say anything important without Trunks there, but decided there was no harm in simply saying hello. He had always been a very sociable person, and going this long without communication was making him crazy. Making up his mind, Goten adopted a friendly expression and headed outside.

"Hey, guys," he greeted warmly, mussing his hair habitually.

Piccolo's eyes narrowed while Bulma and Gohan sang out 'hello'.

Gohan tilted his head. "Where's T?"

Goten shrugged lightly but it was difficult to miss the light frown on his face. "He's just relaxing in the capsule house for now. I don't think he was in the mood."

"Is everything okay?" Bulma asked concernedly. "I thought you boys were settling in nicely."

"No, no, nothing like that. Everything is perfect, Bulma. We're both just missing our friends and family."

Bulma's expression turned into one of downright misery, startling Goten. "Oh, you poor things! Everyone you love is gone; I can't imagine how horrible that must be. I mean, we lost a lot of our friends on Namek but at least we have the dragon balls…"

Goten nodded awkwardly. He'd forgotten about that particular lie. "Yeah, it's er, been really tough. On Trunks, especially. He really misses his girlfriend."

A few moments passed in complete and utter silence before Goten realized what he had said wrong.

"Wait… Who's Trunks?"

 _This_ was why Trunks didn't want him talking to anyone. If it wasn't seen as suspicious, Goten would have flown away then and there. False naivety was his best option now.

"Huh?"

Gohan looked up at Piccolo oddly, the two of them sharing a knowing glance. "You just said, 'Trunks really misses his girlfriend.'"

Goten squeaked out a nervous laugh. "Did I, now?"

"Yes." Piccolo deadpanned. "Who's Trunks?"

Breathing in deeply, Goten braced himself. There was really no way out of this without digging a deeper hole for themselves, so Goten was left with one option: the truth.

"Well," Goten started, licking his lips. "To be completely honest with all of you…"

Everyone stared at him with rapt attention, doing nothing to quell Goten's anxiety.

"Trunks is T's full name. I'm sorry we lied."

"Oh." Bulma blinked. "Why would you lie about _names_ though? Are you wanted criminals or something?"

Snorting, Goten shook his head. "God, no. Definitely not. I just… I'm sorry." He was lost for words. He wanted them to trust him, but didn't want to reveal anything else without Trunks by his side. "I promise we aren't bad people. It's just very important our identities are kept secret."

Piccolo spoke next. "How are we meant to trust you if we don't know anything about you? Vegeta could be right; you could be Frieza's men here for revenge. What's stopping me from killing you here and now?"

Goten gulped. He needed Trunks here. Desperately.

"Please," he begged. "We're not Frieza's men. It's all very difficult to explain."

Gohan, as though sensing Goten's distress, pulled Piccolo back slightly. "What do you mean?" he asked curiously.

Goten looked over his shoulder, hoping that Trunks would miraculously appear behind him.

Bulma, observing his reluctance, sighed. "Feel free to go and get T – er, Trunks – if you want. But we _expect_ an explanation. I can't have you living here if you're lying to us."

He wasn't sure what he preferred. Facing Piccolo, Gohan and Bulma, or facing Trunks. "Right. Um… Maybe we could wait until tomorrow? It would probably be better if we had a fresh day ahead of us."

Piccolo, Gohan and Bulma glanced at one another in contemplation, faces doubtful. "I think we should wait," whispered Gohan. "They don't give off an evil energy, Piccolo. I know you can feel it."

Piccolo grunted in resignation. "Fine. But if we regret this, it's on you, kid."

"Take a chill pill, Piccolo. Gohan's right," spoke Bulma before turning to Goten. "Okay, G. Tomorrow afternoon at twelve sharp, you and Trunks can meet us in the dining room for lunch."

Goten nodded quickly. "Yes, yes. That sounds perfect! Thanks, Bulma."

"No problem, kid."

Smiling brightly, Goten nodded to both Gohan and Piccolo before moving to leave.

"Wait, G!" Gohan called, stopping him in his tracks. Goten looked back, confused.

"Yeah?"

Gohan grinned. "What's your real name?"

Goten blinked, scratching his neck with an awkward chuckle. Three pairs of eyes watched him expectedly. After a few moments of hesitation, he finally spoke.

"Goten," he smiled. "My name's Goten."

* * *

It was simply out of curiosity when Gohan chose to walk past the boys' capsule house not long after. The both of them intrigued him greatly. He knew they were likely from earth, they both possessed a large amount of strength, and they were keeping secrets for an unbeknownst reason. Gohan had a feeling deep down that they were good people. He had been face to face with plenty of foes, familiarizing himself with their sinister energy. Goten and Trunks' energy didn't resemble that at all. Rather… it was warm. Comforting. Familiar, somehow.

Hence it came as quite the surprise when he strolled past, only to hear two loud voices bickering back and forth cruelly.

"I can't fucking believe you. You had one job, Goten. _One_ job!"

"What was I meant to do, huh? I'm going crazy here! I needed _someone_ to talk to."

"And what about me, huh? Your best friend? Talk to me, not them!"

"Talk to you? How the hell am I supposed to talk to you, Trunks? All you do is lie there all fucking day whinging about Mai. Wake up, man! We're trapped here and you sulking isn't going to fix that."

An exasperated sigh. "Well I'm sorry that I actually have someone back home to miss."

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"Just forget it, Goten."

"No! You don't get to do that. Tell me what you meant."

"Seriously, Goten. I'm just saying you don't understand what it's like."

"To what? Have a girlfriend? Because yeah, you're right about that Trunks. But me not having a partner has nothing to do with loneliness, okay? I have family and friends back home who I miss like anything. So, don't you dare undermine my feelings."

"Oh, you're bringing out the big words now, are you?"

An angry yell of frustration. "You know what? Never mind. Fuck you, Trunks."

And then Goten was storming out of the house, slamming the door behind him so hard the door broke off its hinges. Gohan hurriedly ducked behind a nearby bush, breath heaving rapidly. Goten looked miserable. His hair was everywhere, his cheeks were flushed, and his eyes were bloodshot red. If the circumstances had been any different, Gohan would have ran straight up to comfort Goten. Unfortunately, he knew he had already overheard too many things he wasn't supposed to, and he didn't want to worsen Goten's mood. Instead, he simply watched from a distance, concern swimming in his eyes as Goten struggled to hold in tears.

He wasn't exactly sure where these two boys had come from, but now, he wanted to help them more than ever. With firm resolution, Gohan nodded his head, taking off to go inform Piccolo of his findings.

* * *

"Mister Piccolo!" Gohan called, interrupting the exasperated Namekian's attempt at meditation.

Piccolo opened one eye, glaring. "What is it, Gohan?"

"I overheard Goten and Trunks. They were fighting!"

This caught Piccolo's attention. "What about?"

Gohan hummed. "Er, well I think Trunks was really mad that Goten told us stuff. He was being pretty mean about it."

"Is that it?" Piccolo looked thoroughly unimpressed.

"No, wait! They also kept saying stuff about 'being trapped here' and their friends 'back home'. Maybe they're not from earth after all?"

"I don't know, kid. They seem pretty darn human to me."

Gohan tilted his head. "So where do you think they're from, then? They can fly. They could go back home if they wanted. And if they _are_ alien, their planet obviously wasn't destroyed if they want to go back."

Piccolo simply sat in silence, thinking.

"Mister Piccolo?"

"Kid," he spoke gruffly. "I think this is going to be a lot more complicated than we first thought."


	6. Chapter 6

Goten had spent the last three hours alone, flying through the trees in the area around Mount Paozu. He understood Trunks' anger. He had been careless and hadn't even consulted Trunks beforehand, but that didn't give the older boy the right to treat him like dirt. He was just as upset about their circumstances as Trunks was and he didn't particularly fancy messing with the timeline either. However, Goten had thought deeply about this and he knew that their only chance of escaping this timeline was to ask for help. They could potentially live in isolation until one year passed before using the dragon balls, but if they were being realistic, it was practically impossible to keep under the radar for that long.

And so, they were stuck.

Trunks was being an utter ass. Goten wanted to sympathize with him but it was difficult when he continued to be so stubborn. That was why he needed to get out of there. The house was already claustrophobic enough without the tension, but now it was suffocating. A part of Goten wanted to visit his own home; just to have a peek at what it looked like and maybe to catch a glimpse of his mother. But it was impossible. Nobody trusted him as it was, and he didn't think that showing up announced at a 'stranger's' house would help that assumption.

It was well dark out now, a jet sky and glowing moon on the horizon. Goten looked up at it fondly, a calm overcoming him almost immediately. He was hopelessly lost. He had no way home, no way of contacting his family, and his only friend was more distant than ever.

Maybe that's why this hurt so much. It was always meant to be just the two of them. The two of them against the rest of the world. They'd never needed anybody else to entertain them. They had grown up together, fought ferocious villains together and even grieved together. And to see Trunks so dependent on someone else for once – so indifferent towards Goten – was painful. He knew he was foolish. He'd imagined scenario upon scenario of the two of them growing old together. He never stopped hoping that one day, Trunks would finally realize his undying love for Goten and leave Mai behind. Unfortunately, life wasn't so kind. Trunks seemed beyond happy with Mai, and even if they hypothetically _did_ break up, straight men typically didn't turn gay overnight.

Goten was forced to accept the circumstances as they were, but it wasn't easy. A part of him thought that he'd never stop loving Trunks. No matter how distanced they became, no matter how much of an asshole Trunks was, something inside of Goten continued to love him perpetually. It was maddening.

He wondered if anyone else he knew had experienced something similar. It seemed as though all of his family and friends were paired up together with no qualms. There were no love triangles, no unrequited love, no 'it's complicated'. The only person that came to mind was Yamcha, and Goten didn't particularly want to associate himself with the ex-baseball player.

Sitting with his back against a tree, Goten felt his eyelids drooping with fatigue. A cool wind danced across his shoulders and the rustle of leaves incited a wave of tranquility. It had been an eventful day and things were finally catching up to him. Putting his desolate thoughts aside, Goten allowed himself to succumb to the inviting pull of slumber.

* * *

"'Ten?" came a hesitant whisper. "Goten?"

Goten's eyes shot open, body on full alert. "Huh? What?" He squinted, immediately identifying the figure before him. "Oh. It's you."

Trunks stood before him meekly, moonlight shining against his lilac hair. "Can I sit?"

"Do whatever you want."

Eyes trained on Goten, Trunks lowered himself onto the ground so they were sitting opposite. His cheeks were red from what Goten assumed was the cold and his eyes were wide and hesitant.

"I've been thinking," he spoke, fiddling with the grass around him.

Goten said nothing, simply watching Trunks with exasperation. The older boy took this as an invitation to continue.

"And I've been a complete dick to you. You're right. There's no point in me thinking about Mai right now. We're stuck here, whether I like it or not, and the only way back is if we work together. I'm really sorry, 'Ten. And you know…" Trunks licked his lips awkwardly, diverting his gaze. "You're the most important person in my life. I don't know what I'd do without you, man. I treated you like shit and I seriously don't deserve you, Goten, I know that. But you're my best friend. So, can you please forgive me?"

Trunks' words were all sincere and Goten could hear the desperation in his voice. He looked up, searching Trunks' eyes for a few moments before smiling softly. "Of course, I forgive you, Trunks. You've always been an ass," he joked, "but that's never stopped me from being your friend."

"Oh, thank god," breathed Trunks, leaning forward and wrapping Goten in a tight hug.

Goten laughed, leaning into the embrace and breathing in deeply. "And Trunks?"

"Hm?"

"You're the most important person in my life, too."

Trunks tightened his hug at this before pulling away slightly to give Goten a knowing smirk. "Wanna spar?"

"I thought you said we can't," Goten raised an eyebrow.

Trunks shrugged sheepishly. "Yeah, well, I changed my mind."

That was all the explanation Goten needed before smiling devilishly and leaping back into his stance. "Bring it on then, pretty boy."

Trunks laughed loudly. "Pretty boy? Really, Gote- Ah!"

He was cut off by the younger boy charging towards him, aiming a sharp kick to the side of his head. Eyes narrowing into a smirk, Trunks adopted his own stance and hurriedly fended off Goten's attack. "Oh, you're on!"

* * *

Hours later and back at their capsule house, Goten and Trunks had already fallen into a deep sleep, arms and legs splayed in all directions. Their spar had been the much-needed exercise they had been craving and it seemed as though the stress of the week was finally catching up to them. In their exhaustion, the two hadn't had time to discuss their plan for the following day, where Bulma, Piccolo and Gohan were expecting them to explain themselves and their identity.

Morning arrived sooner than anticipated, with Goten awaking to a very anxious Trunks pacing the floor before him.

"Trunks," he murmured, rubbing his eyes. "What the hell?"

Trunks turned to look at him, hair tousled beyond repair. "What are we going to tell them, Goten? Lunch is in three hours."

"Three hours? That's plenty of time to think of something."

Trunks huffed. "Any ideas, then?"

Goten shrugged before slipping out of bed. "The truth, to begin with."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"C'mon, Trunks! What else are we meant to say? They're not stupid, they're gonna figure stuff out sooner or later. I just think we should tell them that we're from the future and we're trapped here because of the dragon balls."

"What about our identities?"

Goten was currently frowning at his discarded shirt on the floor, giving it a hesitant sniff before throwing it back to where it came from. "Eck, that reeks!" He looked to Trunks. "They can remain private. It's not like the dragon balls are only available to certain people. We just happen to be ordinary humans who collected them for fun, wished for something ambiguous, and ended up here."

Trunks nodded, the idea growing on him. "Okay. What about the ambiguous wish, then? They'll ask about it eventually."

"Er, I didn't think that far," Goten confessed, smiling broadly at Trunks.

Trunks sighed, but could feel his own smile growing in affection for the other boy. "Fair enough." Trunks sat back onto his own bed, eyes closing in deep thought.

Meanwhile, Goten continued to walk around the room, opening the wardrobe and various cupboards in the search for something clean to wear. "Trunks," he whined after a few moments. "There's nothin' in here to wear. We're gonna have to ask Bulma for some clothes."

Trunks opened one eye, glancing at Goten in amusement. In lieu of anything else to wear, he was currently donned in only his boxers and Trunks' Capsule Corporation jacket zipped up to his chin. "You're a dork. Put on some pants and go ask her, then."

"Can't you do it?"

"Nah, I have to think of what the fake wish is," Trunks snickered. "C'mon, it won't be that bad."

Goten rolled his eyes but nonetheless picked up his now dirty and ripped pair of jeans. "Fine. If she says no, though, I'm going to make you go out there with just your underwear. Play the sympathy card."

"Whatever, 'Ten. Off you go."

Albeit reluctantly, Goten went, hands stuffed in his pockets with embarrassment.

When he returned, fifteen minutes later, Trunks was no longer sitting on his bed. Rather, he was standing in the doorway to the bathroom, donned in nothing but a white towel. He greeted Goten enthusiastically, and it took everything in Goten's power not to stare at Trunks' chest while he spoke.

"Turns out I'm out of clothes, too," he remarked awkwardly, "Did you get more than one outfit?"

Goten coughed, diverting his gaze to show Trunks the bag he was holding. "She gave me a couple, yeah. She also gave us this," Goten fished through his pockets before pulling out a thick wad of cash. "So that we could go shopping."

"Heh, my mum sure was generous back in the day," remarked Trunks.

"Well, I don't know if 'generous' is the right word. She also threatened to send Piccolo to 'beat the cash out of us' if we weren't honest later."

"That's more like it."

"Here," Goten threw the bag of clothes at Trunks. "Get changed. I wanna have a shower soon."

Trunks nodded, heading back into the bathroom to change.

"Oh god. These are all hideous," came the muffled sound of Trunks' voice. "My mum told me she was cool back in the day."

Goten snorted loudly. "Gohan told me the same thing. Little did they know…"

The door opened and Trunks shuffled out with distaste. "Pro tip: never believe anything those liars tell you."

"Oh my god. Tell me this isn't happening." Goten studied Trunks' outfit briefly before bursting out in a fit of hysterics. "What the hell, Bulma?!"

Dressed in a bright green shirt decorated with purple flowers and khaki shorts, Trunks looked as though he'd rather be naked.

"You look gayer than me," wheezed Goten, relishing in the embarrassment on Trunks' face.

"Just you wait, 'Ten. The outfit I picked was the _good_ option."

"Fuck off."

After showering and cleaning his teeth, Goten got dressed in preparation for lunch with Bulma only to realize that Trunks was right.

"Trunks," whined Goten. "I can't go out looking like this!"

"Come on, Goten. Out and proud," he snickered, opening the bathroom door and peeking his head in. "What the heck, why does it look good on you?"

Goten turned around, sneering at Trunks. "It doesn't, dickhead. Why couldn't you have worn the pants? They're _so_ tight."

"I'm being honest! They make your legs look hot. I'm jealous."

If possible, Goten's face flared even more red. "Trade, then?"

"Nope."

Goten studied his outfit extensively in the mirror, hating how exposed he felt. Usually, his clothing consisted of baggy t-shirts, tracksuit pants and gis. This, on the other hand, was considerably uncomfortable. He donned a pink polo shirt which struggled to stretch across his chest and a pair of white skinny jeans. "Why does your mum even own shit like this?

"I guess that really was the fashion back then. Gross."

Goten attempted fruitlessly to smooth down his clothes into something more acceptable. "As soon as lunch is over with, we're going to the mall."

"Agreed," Trunks nodded. "Also, I thought of a potential wish."

The two made eye contact in the mirror. "And?" prompted Goten.

"Well, we could go with the alibi that your dad died before you were born, which is technically _true_ , so you wished 'to see him.' Instead of bringing your dad back from the dead, or sending you to otherworld, it took us back in time."

Goten hummed in contemplation. "Yeah, I think that could work. What if they ask who my dad is?"

Trunks frowned at that, thinking hard. "Er, maybe we can pretend we don't know… We'll just say your mum doesn't like to talk about him."

"And if they ask who my mum is?"

"Ah, c'mon 'Ten, I'm running out of ideas. You think of something." Trunks whined, rustling his hair in frustration.

Goten nodded and turned around to face Trunks properly. "My mum is… Videl Satan."

At this, Trunks erupted into laughter, shaking his head profusely. "No fucking way. When Gohan meets her ten years later he'll start thinking he's your dad."

"Yeah, but I'll be born by then… Hopefully. It shouldn't matter."

"I don't know… I still think we should use a name a _little_ more random."

"I guess so. Er, what about Chima? Like a mix between 'Chi Chi' and 'Bulma'."

Trunks nodded slowly. "Yeah, Chima works. That should be all the information we need for now, too. If they ask us some weird questions on the spot, I guess we'll just have to wing it."

"Sounds good to me." Goten grinned, slipping past Trunks and falling onto his bed. "Let's just hope everything goes to plan."

Trunks exhaled deeply, eyes focused yet distant.

"We'll just have to wait and see."


	7. Chapter 7

p class="MsoNormal"Immediately, it was clear to both Goten and Trunks that lunch was going to be an odd experience. Despite the array of food before them, a tense silence seemed to permeate. Goten attempted to avoid the awkward situation by shoveling as much food into his mouth as physically possible, while Trunks uncharacteristically picked at a bowl of plain rice./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Due to the warm weather, they were currently situated in the Briefs' large backyard. Bulma seemed too fussed with accommodating everyone to care about Trunks and Goten in the moment, but it was impossible to ignore the chilling stare sent by Piccolo across the table./p  
p class="MsoNormal"The Namekian sat stoical, arms crossed and sipping on a glass of water. His animosity towards the both of them was clear as day, and Goten found himself severely discomforted by the fact. Back in their own time, Piccolo was a mentor, a brusque and intimidating figure, but more importantly, a friend. Goten had grown up with him a constant presence in the Son family, and during the whole Buu fiasco, he and Trunks relied on him constantly./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Although Goten was horrifically nervous about what was about to entail, he also trusted Piccolo – regardless of timeline – and could only hope that he could help them somehow./p  
p class="MsoNormal"As the table of food gradually disappeared, mostly courteous of Goten and young Gohan, Trunks sent Goten a nervous side glance. Goten smiled assuredly and gave Trunks a nudge./p  
p class="MsoNormal"'It'll be fine,' he mouthed./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Trunks merely shrugged, unconvinced, but nevertheless sent Goten a little nudge back./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Right," interrupted Piccolo gruffly, startling everyone present. "Are we going to keep eating like animals or stop wasting time and get down to business?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Goten coughed awkwardly. "Er, the second option, I guess?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Right," Trunks cleared Goten's and his plates off to the side. "Where should we begin?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Well…" began Gohan, a blush forming. "I overheard you guys arguing yesterday and you said you were trapped here and that there are people 'back home'. Does that mean your planet wasn't destroyed? And, er, Mister Piccolo and I noticed Goten was wearing a Capsule Corp. jacket, which is definitely from Earth."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Trunks couldn't help but wince. Gohan, like always, was dishing out the big questions straight away. "Um, well… Yeah. First of all, I'm really sorry we lied to everyone. We didn't do it to swindle or trick you… It was just to protect our identities. The truth is," Trunks took a deep breath, giving Goten one last glance. "We are actually from Earth."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Then why are you here? Why not go back to your family?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Goten swallowed thickly. It was time to put on his acting shoes. "Well, um. You guys know about the dragon balls, obviously."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Gohan, Piccolo and Bulma all shared a knowing look, and it was easy to detect the underlying concern on their faces./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Trunks and I have known about the dragon balls our whole lives as well, see… My mother used to tell me the legend as a young child. After graduating, the two of us set out on a little adventure. I wanted the dragon balls to see my father and Trunks wanted to give his girlfriend the perfect gift."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""We got the gift," continued Trunks. "But when Goten said his wish, the dragon misinterpreted it. We thought maybe the dragon would bring Goten's father back to life or send us to the afterlife, but instead, we got here. We don't know what year it is exactly, but…"/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Are you trying to tell us you boys are from the future?!" interrupted Bulma excitedly./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Trunks and Goten looked at each other. "We think so, yes," nodded Trunks./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Bulma stood up, practically jumping on the spot. She looked to Piccolo and Gohan with a wide smile on her face. "Oh my gosh, you guys! This is amazing, this is groundbreaking! You boys need to tell me… Is Capsule Corporation still succeeding? Am I famous? What about Goku… Do you guys know Son Goku? Is he alive?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Goten bit his lip. "Er, Bulma?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Noticing the frown on Goten's face, Bulma piped down, sitting down attentively./p  
p class="MsoNormal""The reason we didn't want to tell you all this in the first place is because we really don't want to change the timeline. We're not sure if the things we say will affect you guys dramatically and we don't want to take that risk, either. We hope you all can understand."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""That makes sense," Piccolo spoke up. "But there are a few other questions I have."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Trunks nodded quickly. "Sure, sure, go right ahead."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""When we first met you, you appeared alongside everyone who had been on Namek. You weren't confused at all regarding the foreign planet and even acted as though you knew about it. You fended off Vegeta without breaking a sweat and proceeded to fly off without hesitation."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Clenching his fists beneath the table, Trunks cursed himself mentally. How had he forgotten about that whole ordeal? There was no way in hell Goten and he could think of something in defense at such short notice./p  
p class="MsoNormal""There is a possibility that you might have found the dragon balls on your own – we have no clue what technology the future offers, after all – but you must have some connection to the Z Fighters to possess the skills and knowledge you do."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Silence ensued. Goten and Trunks stared at each other intensely, attempting to figure out what the other was thinking, but their efforts were fruitless./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Eventually, Goten spoke up. "That… is true. We do know about the Z Fighters and a lot of their accomplishments. But like I said before, it is crucial we keep information about the future to ourselves. Just know that you can trust us."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Bulma, Piccolo and Gohan sat with this information for a few moments./p  
p class="MsoNormal""I suppose you're right… I guess we'll just have to wait until the Earth's dragon balls are fine to use again," Bulma conceded./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Goten and Trunks slumped with relief. "So, are we good to keep staying here, Bulma?" questioned Goten hesitantly. He felt bad for taking advantage of Capsule Corp's resources but was at a loss for what to do otherwise./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Of course, you guys. There is plenty of room here and there is no way I'm turning you away if you know the Z Fighters! It might be difficult but I'm going to do whatever it takes to help you get back home."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Overwhelmed by her generosity and overcome with a sense of motherly nostalgia, Trunks couldn't help but jump up joyously and wrap the scientist in a hug. "Thank you so much, Bulma! This means the world to us, seriously."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""It's not a problem," she laughed bashfully, giving Trunks an awkward pat on the back./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Goten struggled to stifle his laughter but was immediately sobered by the look on Piccolo's face. He groaned inwardly. Surely Piccolo ought to be over this intimidating façade by now. They had explained their situation as best as possible!/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Goten," he spoke. "I want to speak to you privately later. Can you sense ki?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Yes, sir." Goten squeaked out, anxious./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Piccolo arched a brow. "Come find me tonight. There are a few more things I'd like to discuss."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Gohan looked up at Piccolo, slightly lost, but the Namekian gave him a reassuring glance./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Um… Sure thing." Goten looked to Trunks, shrugging helplessly. At least they had the rest of the day to think of something good./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Anyway Bulma… Lunch was fantastic. Thank you very much. I think for now though, Goten and I need to go shopping." Trunks looked down at his attire distastefully and silenced young Gohan's giggles with a pretend glare./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Bulma huffed. "Personally, I think you boys look cute."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Cute?" sputtered Goten. "Oh God, Trunks, we need new clothes ASAP."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"With that, and one last quick farewell, the boys were off, cash in pocket and en route to a new wardrobe./p 


End file.
